LONDON (Reuters) - Britain should raise environmental taxes
after failing to meet a pledge, made by the ruling Labor Party
when it was elected in 1997, to tax pollution more, a committee
of lawmakers said on Tuesday.

Since 1997 environmental taxes had fallen as a proportion
of all taxes, the committee of parliamentarians from all major
political parties said in a report entitled "Climate change and
the Stern Review: the implications for Treasury policy."

"We are very disappointed by the Government's timid use of
environmental taxes," said committee member John McFall.

"These (taxes that have been introduced) are miniscule in
the grand scheme of things. Overall, the Government has failed
to match its 1997 commitment to increase the use of green
taxes."

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"We recommend that the Government reverse this reduction in
commitment," the report said.

In particular fuel taxes have not risen with inflation over
the past 10 years, partly to counter rising fuel prices.

The British government does not define fuel taxes as an
environmental tax.

Former UK treasury economist Nicholas Stern called for
urgent to combat climate change, saying the costs of inaction
would be far greater, in his Stern Review published in 2006.

The review had referred to a range of possible policy
options to fight global warming, including carbon taxes, carbon
trading, best practice and industrial standards.

The committee also called for a climate change minister
based outside the environment ministry who would coordinate
climate change policies across government.

The report also highlighted a lack of action to curb
emissions by the aviation industry, and for that reason called
for airlines to display carbon emissions from flights.

"We express concern that airlines are dragging their feet
in cooperating on environmental schemes, and recommend that
airlines adopt a system of eco-labeling, so that consumers can
compare the environmental footprint of each airline when
purchasing their tickets," the report said.